Decorative wall plates used with various electric components such as switches, outlets, etc. are well known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. DES 243,918 shows a decorative wall plate for use with such switches and outlets.
Various technologies have been used to provide an image on a decorative wall plate. For example, the image can be painted onto the plate directly, or preferably, an image can be provided by a transfer printing process.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,851 a method for making a decorated, water-resistant rigid panel is described where a flat precoated hard board panel receives a heat transferred image from a transfer sheet containing a sublimation ink decoration.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,722, transfer printing of an image to a flat wooden substrate is described. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,116, an image is transferred simultaneously to a switch plate and its associated screws which are located in their mounting holes, the combination of screws and the plate providing an essentially flat transfer surface.
In each of these cases, a substantially flat substrate receives a transfer of an image by ink sublimation. The desire for continuous imaging over a switch plate has not carried over to the contained electrical component because it is considered impractical to transfer an image to an item with a complex surface such as a switch toggle, or electrical outlet receptacle. Such electrical components comprise from 10 to 70% of the surface area of the wall plate. As such, they detract significantly from the appearance presented when an imaged decorative wall plate is used. Other than color coordinator, the electrical component itself breaks up the continuous image.